Once Bitten
by Kimba LionHeart
Summary: Roy has been having strange dreams involving golden eyes and fangs. Edward has paid the ultimate price to return to those he loves-he gave up his humanity.A not-so-typical vampire romance. -For those of you looking for sparkly vampires, look elsewhere.- -On Hiatus-
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! Just wanted to pour my effort into something a little different. This one is in third person and a little darker than normal, but I hope I did okay. My beta is currently on vacation, so you guys will have to tell me if you see any mistakes. BTW, while I do poke fun at it from time to time, I don't _dislike _Twilight. I just don't think that the Cullen's are real vampires. They have all the benefit of the race, with hardly any drawbacks, which is not what vampire lore traditionally states. So, let it be said: This story does NOT involve sparkly vamps, or emo boyfriends with weird hair. However, there is nothing wrong with liking that, and I won't bash Twilight fans because we don't agree. As for the Anti-Twilight people, I think you are right, but please don't be rude about it. Thanks.

LITS is still being worked on, so don't fret! Also, the rating of this story could change, as I haven't fully decided where I am going to go with it yet.

**_This takes place after the culmination of the first anime series, and disregards the happenings of the COS movie. Also, Al never lost his memory._**

Please enjoy and review!

**EDIT- I've changed the title to just 'Once Bitten'. Same story, otherwise.**

* * *

_Dark. It was so dark. The only light filtered down to Earth from the softly glowing moon. It was quiet, almost eerily so. Nothing moved in the hush of night, and the absence of the sun sent chills running through nerve-endings. _

_Suddenly, great shadows cut across the moon, chipping away at what little illumination there was. The soft rustle of feathers echoed loudly in this place, like a beast preparing to strike. Something was out there._

_Fear colored the image, dimming it, blurring out the edges. Then, another sound, like the quiet shifting of a snake uncoiling. All of a sudden, everything was brought into focus again, this time clearer than before, almost unbearably crisp. A step. Then another. Coming closer, closer. _

"_I've come for you." Rasped out a voice. It sounded like an inhuman hiss, with the smooth undertones of a predator coming in for the kill._

_Everything tingled, the feeling consuming the entirety of the scene, as if a mixture of adrenalin and terrified expectancy had filled the air._

"_Now…" The voice was even closer than before. "Give yourself to me." _

_A smile, bright in the gloom. A slow upturning of invisible lips to reveal perfect porcelain teeth. So unnatural, so sickeningly sticky sweet, so marred by those impossible-not-to-notice fangs._

_Pain. Incomprehensible pain flared, all encompassing in its finality, only made worse by being over-sensitized and overpowered._

_A flash of bright golden eyes. _

* * *

Roy sat bolt upright, trembling so hard that the bed frame shook. His one good eye danced sporadically about the room, searching in vain for unseen terrors of the night. He heaved great breaths of cold winter air into his lungs, the faint chill helping to bring him back to his senses. Eventually, he relaxed his posture and his breathing slowed. Looking down, he found that he was covered in sweat, and he could see as well as feel his quick, jumpy pulse firing in his wrist.

"It's ok. Just a dream." He whispered quietly to himself.

He hated those moments when dreams still lingered, those few horrid seconds when the line between reality and fantasy blurred, and inane, childish fears had enough pull in them to make grown men scared to their core.

The dark-haired alchemist rolled to the edge of the bed and stood, having to pause and fight the dizziness and nausea. He took one last deep breath and marched across the freezing hardwood floor towards the bathroom. He gave a slight hiss as he stepped on the somehow even colder tile, and flipped on the light. He stripped off all of his clothes and flicked on the taps, hoping to rid himself of the sick, clammy feeling with a hot shower.

While the water heated up, Roy looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He had always been fair skinned, but tonight he seemed almost unnaturally pale. A dark circle had nested under his remaining eye, and his forehead was glistening with the sheen of sweat. He sighed, hanging his head low for a moment, then stepped in to the shower.

The steam did help to drive away his queasiness, but it could not do the same for the images burned into the troubled man's mind.

'_The only time I ever have dreams that vivid is when they are about the Ishbalan war…so what the hell was __**that**__ all about?' _He wondered idly.

Yellow Eyes. In the instant before consciousness had grabbed hold of him, he had seen a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

"No. Not yellow. Gold eyes." Roy corrected himself aloud.

He only knew one person with that eye color.

The fact that he was dreaming about them was not a good thing.

* * *

The next few days passed in a blur. The military office was gearing up for the fast approaching political campaign season. The emergency council that was set in place after the overthrowing of Fuhrer Bradley was finally stepping down. The 'State of Emergency' had lasted much longer than expected—a little less than four years. The Council had not been fully prepared for what was thrust onto them. They dealt with the investigation of the previous Fuhrer's death, which eventually led to investigation of corruption within the government and a grand purging of several people within the military brass. Then they had to deal with the Ishbalans, now that no one was sweeping the issue of their 'camps' under the rug. The list of things to do had gone on and on- foreign affairs, reciprocation to several groups for damages, lessening of the military's direct power. Many of the things one Roy Mustang had once hoped to accomplish in office.

But there was still much to be done. Fear of war still haunted the wary eyes of pedestrians. Children no longer played in the streets. Rumors of chimeras spread like wild fire in the superstitious rural areas. Someone needed to tie up all the loose ends.

Finally, a new leader was to be elected, and the tired country of Amestris could start looking towards the future, rather than fixing the previous generation's mess.

Roy Mustang was campaigning to become the next Fuhrer. He had great standing within most groups. He was a war hero, had always worked for the people, and had helped liberate the country from the grasp of the war mongering Old Regime.

His impressive resume had but one minor blemish.

Alchemy.

While the Alchemic division of the military had not been disbanded after the facts of the old government's human experimentation had come to light, they were blamed for some of it. Some, such as the Flame Alchemist had survived the slander relatively unscathed. Others however, were driven out by fear. Now they were even less trusted than before. No more were the days where songs were sung about the glorious exploits of alchemists of old. While alchemy was not necessarily considered 'bad', anyone who practiced it was put under the microscope, and any shortcomings were blamed on the science of equivalent exchange.

Ironically enough, the only name that remained totally unaffected by this was the man with the most 'short'comings of all.

Edward Elric was still known as the 'Alchemist of the People.'

When the investigation of Bradley's underground dealings had come out, so did details of the brave young man's fight. (Roy had a hell of a time keeping the really important parts of his story secret.) People read the papers in awe at all he had done.

A young girl in Liore had spoken up and told of a golden child that swept up the mess left by an insane priest. A retired cop talked to reporters about his great battle with the master thief, Siren. The once small mining town of Youswell sang praises to the boy for running out a corrupt official and making them prosperous once again. Little stories sprang up from all corners of the country about the good deeds of a child prodigy. What had once been a vaguely appreciated tale had become a legend. People were desperate to know more about the unsung hero of The Revolution. Which left only one question.

Where was the Fullmetal Alchemist?

Every person that had ever come in contact with him was questioned, civilians and military personnel alike searched high and low for some trace of the hot-headed boy wonder, but he was nowhere to be found. It was as if he simply disappeared the night Bradley died.

After a year and a half of fruitless investigation, it was clear that he wasn't coming back.

A funeral was held, even though his official status remained 'Missing in Action'. Hundreds had made the pilgrimage to the Central City Military Cemetery to lay a legend to rest. The whole affair was somber, and after the priest of a god Fullmetal hadn't believed in had spoken a few words, the heavens split and rain poured forth, as if someone up there was laughing at the misery held in that place. People from all walks of life marched through the imposing front gates to pay their respects. Two Ishbalan boys, recently relocated to a good home, wept at the foot of his grave. A young mechanic had to be held back when she started beating the casket with a wrench in her agony. A giant of a man fell to his knees and sobbed, his impressive moustache glistening with tears. An extremely ill woman had a fit and started coughing up blood, but she refused to leave until she had said her goodbyes.

Everyone present had to blink back tears when little Elysia Hughes and her mother brought an apple pie as an offering, because it had been his favorite. She had whispered words to the empty coffin as if the lost hero could somehow hear her. She had told him to 'keep Daddy company in heaven.'

Throughout the entirety of the event, only two sets of eyes remained dry.

One belonged to none other than the former sponsor of the Fullmetal Alchemist. General Mustang had cried at the funeral of a friend in the past, but there was one key difference here: There was no body. As long as that grave remained empty, it wasn't real to him.

The other person who never shed a tear was the last in the Elric line. Alphonse Elric _knew _that his brother was not dead. He could feel it. The only thing that had warmed him in his time as a lifeless suit of armor was the presence of his beloved big brother. Even though blood once again coursed through his veins, that warmth was still felt within his soul. He knew that somewhere out there, his brother was waiting for someone to find him.

So sure was he of this fact that he chose to sleep on the same bed of nails that the elder Elric had, even though he knew the hardship that went along with it.

The nation sighed in fondness and recollection when the young lad was dubbed the 'Armored Alchemist.' The naming committee had thought they were being clever with that title and General Mustang had begged them to reconsider, to change it to anything else. But Alphonse had borne it stoically. He had said that he would need some armor to get through the next period in his life.

It was all so nostalgic, so bittersweet, Roy thought he might cry. Here he was, plotting government takeover in an office, while a gifted young alchemist in a red coat traversed the countryside looking for answers. He couldn't help but feel that he might have been repeating past mistakes by letting an Elric run free under his watch again.

The General was swamped with thoughts of preparation and reminiscence and he pushed the disturbing dream from a few days earlier out of his mind. But the vague feeling of unease didn't leave him.

Later in the week, he sat at his desk, trying to convince himself that it was just nerves due to the upcoming election.

"Sir."

The dark haired man's head snapped up at the sound of someone else's voice.

"Yes, Hawkeye?"

She didn't reply. For a few moments, all she did was stare at him. Roy had to resist the urge to twitch and adjust his eye patch under the scrutinizing gaze.

"You do not look well," the woman finally answered, "Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"I'm fine, I assure you."

Obviously, whatever she saw in his face left her a little skeptical.

She sighed, and went about gathering up stray reports. When she had put them all in order, she placed them on the General's desk and once again looked him in the eye.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Hawkeye asked, even though they both knew it wasn't necessary.

"Of course." Roy was curious as to why she didn't just drop it like usual.

"You look like absolute shit. You need to be in top form for your campaign. Please, let me take care of this and take the rest of the day off."

Roy blinked.

'_Hawkeye cussing __**and**__ telling me to take time off? I must be dreaming. Dammit, why hasn't my alarm gone off yet? I will have to take it in to be repaired when I wake up…'_

"SIR," She said, rather loudly. "Were you paying attention? I said I would take care of things here. Go home. Get some rest."

Roy opened his mouth to argue, but quickly closed it and got ready to leave when Hawkeye threw a meaningful glance at her gun.

The drive home and dinner afterward was uneventful. The dark haired alchemist did a little bit of paper work, then sat down to read the latest published work of a promising young researcher. He wasn't nearly as brilliant as the Elrics, but he had some interesting ideas and a bright future ahead of him.

Elric…every time Roy thought of that name, his thoughts immediately went to Alphonse. He had been looking after the boy since he was a small child, and he couldn't help but worry about him. He was currently in Liore, retracing the steps he and his brother took to see if any clues as to the blonde's whereabouts popped up.

This train of thought of course, led him to contemplating that dream once more. He knew he was probably seeing more than what was really there, but he had learned to trust his instincts. They told him that something was coming, some shift in the ether had occurred and that it might not necessarily be good.

He shook his head to clear it of these ideas.

"No use in worrying about something I can't see and can't change." He thought out loud.

Roy closed his book and put out the fire in his rather large fireplace. He then trudged up the stairs and to the left, making his way to the master bedroom.

He stripped out of his work attire and into his pajamas, quickly falling victim to exhaustion once he was tucked in.

That night, dreams visited him in his sleep.

* * *

_He was running. From what, he wasn't entirely sure. All he knew was that every sense he possessed was screaming at him to get as far away from here as fast as his feet would carry him._

_He was sweating profusely, yet he felt chilled to the bone. Scenery flashed by him so fast that he couldn't even tell where he was. His chest was tight, the muscles in his calves burning from overuse, breath coming in short gasps. _

_He caught the movement a second too late. Whatever was chasing him had leaped over his head and landed in front of him at an impossible speed, and he couldn't maneuver well enough to do anything but crash into it. _

_Terrified and in pain, he fell backward, knocking his head against the hard ground. _

_There was that smile again. That sick, inhuman smile, full of predatory malice and sharp fangs. _

_He began to shake and didn't even bother moving because he knew he wasn't fast enough to get away._

"_Come now. Don't be so frightened." Chuckled the ominous voice through the darkness. The accent was unrecognizable under the harsh hissing noise that accompanied it. Yet, there was something oddly familiar about the way the words were spoken…_

_Suddenly, two fiery golden orbs were visible. Rather than the expected form, the pupils of these eyes were slits, as if they belonged to a hunting cat. They shone with razor sharp intelligence and something almost akin to…caring? Then they were gone, and the pain returned. _

_The last thing he knew before the world went black was the scent of blood._

* * *

Roy groaned and sat up, wincing as he did so. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, wondering why he had been awoken so suddenly. Seeing that he was no longer on his bed, he understood.

'_I was tossing and turning enough to fall off the bed? Wow. I need to figure out a way to get rid of these nightmares or I will never be able to get a good night's sleep.'_

He stood up, squinting at his bedside clock to try and make out the time. It read 4:47. He shook his head and contemplated getting back into bed, but decided against it. He wasn't going to be able to sleep anyway, so he might as well get a head start on the day.

He took his morning shower and donned some comfortable day clothes. Today was Saturday, so the Flame Alchemist would not be needed at the office, however he would be making a few calls and finalizing his ad campaign with the local newspaper.

Downstairs, he brewed himself some coffee, letting the familiar scent work it's way into his mind to help him relax.

His thoughts again turned to the most recent dream. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was tied to the one he'd had earlier in the week.

'_What could they mean?'_

The unease he had been feeling for a while slowly intensified as the day wore on. Roy couldn't stop thinking about the damnable dreams haunting his sleep.

Harmless looking clouds began to gather over the city at around noon. None of the people out and about took any notice of them. By dinnertime, they had congealed into a single mass, blanketing Central in shadow. Oddly enough, they stopped expanding once they had covered the outer edges of the nation's capital and just seemed to sit there, as if waiting for something. When sunset came, the now ominous gathering storm released its rain upon the Earth.

Roy was in the corner of his sitting room that served as his own miniature library when the first crack of thunder shook his house. Startled, he looked up and to the window on his left.

Outside, the world was pitch black, the only light pouring from the roiling tempest in sharp bursts of electricity. Another flash followed by a reverberating boom sounded, shaking the foundations of the dark haired man's home. He had to prop himself against the wall to keep from pitching over.

'_Great timing for a freak storm to make an appearance…'_ Roy thought sarcastically.

He teetered his way toward the stairs, grabbing onto something every once and a while to keep himself upright. When he was almost to the doorway, the fire in the fireplace suddenly sputtered out, plunging the room into darkness.

A trickle of fear made its way down Roy's spine. Even though he was in his own home, being completely in the dark reminded him of his recent night terrors.

Straining to hear anything now that his vision was cut off, Roy noticed that the sound of the storm outside had vanished. His hands began to twitch, the swift change from familiar comfort to mysterious surroundings activating his fight or flight instinct. He felt as if he were no longer alone. Not daring to draw breath, he turned around, the silence making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

What met his poor eyesight made his blood run cold and wonder if he was dreaming again.

Glowing golden eyes.

"Hello, Colonel." Said a voice that was somewhat accented, but far too familiar to be mistaken.

Denial overloaded Roy Mustang's system causing him to black out and topple to the floor.

* * *

So, what did you think? Please Review!


	2. Chapter 2

The continuation! I was initially going to keep this as part of a larger chapter, but I figured that I had kept you waiting long enough. ^_^ This one is mostly dialouge, but please bear with me! Here you go. Enjoy, and **Review**!

EDIT: Thanks to PipsqueakMidget for pointing out the mistakes! My beta is unable to help me right now, so I really appreciate it!

**~0x0~**

"_Hello, Colonel."_

Roy's remaining eye shot open, but he was still blind for a couple seconds. He lay completely still, not daring to move, not even taking a breath. After moment, his vision cleared and he concluded that he was safe and sound in his own bedroom. Slowly, he rose, propping himself up on his elbows.

'_A dream. Had to have been a dream.'_

But the drip-dripping of rainwater off his roof and the fact that his head had a sizable knot on it told him otherwise. Roy tilted his head back and let his eyelid slip closed. He took deep even breaths.

_One breath, two._

'_Yes. I was hallucinating due to stress. No reason to freak out, I just need more rest.'_

_Three, four._

'_I was silly to have overreacted like that. Hell, I don't even remember dragging myself to bed…perhaps I should invest in sleeping pills and a day at the spa to relax.'_

_Five, six, se-_

"Awake now?"

Once again, the General's eye flew open at a speed faster than his brain could follow. He flailed around, nearly falling off the bed in the process.

"Hey, be careful. You already have a bruise from your earlier tumble. Don't make it worse." Said a disembodied voice in smooth tones.

"Wha…" Roy panicked, looking for the source of the sound, needing to see it with his own eyes, needing to confirm what should have been impossible.

"I'm right here."

The dark haired man squinted in the direction he thought the voice was coming from. Of course, it was still very dark, so it was hard to tell, but he was fairly sure there wasn't anything over there.

As if summoned by his thoughts, a figure melted out of the darkness, just visible in the low light of the moonbeams pouring in through the window.

Roy blinked, once, twice, three times, making sure that the new arrival wasn't just his imagination.

Edward Elric stood before him.

He looked different. Despite his still slight stature he _had_ grown. His hair had turned a shade darker, and hung from the back of his head in a ponytail. He had exchanged a red coat and leather pants for brown slacks and a button down shirt. He was pale. Very, very pale.

His eyes had…changed. They were the same amber-gold that Roy remembered, but there was something else in them. Something foreign and ethereal.

"F-Fullmetal?"

"Ha. I haven't heard that name in years. Wishing I was still under your command, Colonel?"

"I'm a General," Roy said, distracted. His mind wouldn't stop tripping over itself. "What…Where have you been?"

"Nowhere. Everywhere. Depends on your point of view."

"That's…not helpful. How the hell did you find my house? Moreover, how did you get in?"

Roy unsteadily clambered to his feet. He shakily walked towards the blonde, questions spinning in his brain.

'_He's back. He's really back. I knew he would return someday. So why do I feel as if something is out of place?'_

Edward just looked on, pinning Roy with his lion-like gaze.

Roy swallowed and stopped shuffling across the floor.

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

**~0x0~**

Once again, Roy was in his kitchen brewing coffee. Such a mundane action, so normal, so bland.

How could a single person make something so boring so extraordinary?

Roy was hyper aware of the figure sitting motionless at his breakfast table. He tried to make himself look busy, as if his every movement was _not_ him gravitating around his former charge. He glanced at the clock.

_3:36._

Damn. Much too early to be able to fully process life-altering visitations from a dead man.

"How do you like your coffee?" the taller alchemist asked, once the silence had become unbearable.

"I…can't drink coffee anymore. Makes me sick." Edward replied.

"Oh…well…I have other things. What would you like?"

"Nothing, thank you." The blond said curtly.

"Alright. In that case, would you care to tell me where the hell you've been the past four years?"

"No. First, you will answer a question of my own."

Roy cocked his head to show that he was listening.

"Is Alphonse in his own body again? Is he alright?"

'_Ah. He wouldn't know, would he?'_

"Yes, Edward. He's fine. Alphonse is in Liore right now." Roy noticed that he visibly relaxed in response to his statement. No surprise. His brother's well being had always weighed heavily on the mind of the young lad.

"Liore…so that is why I couldn't find him…wait, why is he there?"

"I do believe that is more than one question. Now, what about my query?"

"Colonel, I-"

"It's General now, Elric. And you had best answer this one truthfully and completely. I searched high and low for you for well over a year, and the only rewards my dedication brought were an empty casket and having to watch yet another brazen kid risk his neck chasing a legend. You owe me a _damn good_ explanation for all this."

Once again, Edward leveled the dark haired man with his unreadable gaze. Now that Roy had coffee and had gathered his wits about him, he managed to not flinch.

Finally, the blond leaned back in his chair.

"Alright. Ask me whatever you wish and I will answer to the best of my ability."

Roy huffed a brief sigh. He hated playing 20 questions. It always felt like interrogating a prisoner or something. (And he had certainly had some experience with that.) But, if that was how Edward wanted it…

"How long have you been back?"

"About three months."

"Three months? Why the hell didn't you come find me sooner?"

"I was busy."

"Busy with what?"

"Pass."

That brought Roy up short. "What?"

"Pass." Edward repeated. "I am not going to answer that one yet. Next."

Roy shook his head and decided to let it go for now. He began firing off more questions.

"Where were you?"

"Germany."

"Where?"

"Germany. And a few other places."

The taller alchemist just looked at him until Edward decided to expand upon that.

"Germany is a country. It lies on the other side of the Gate."

"The Gate? You were inside the Gate?"

"No. On the other side of it. The Gate acts a sort of a barrier between this world and that one. The two sides mirror each other, with some differences on either side. Parallel worlds, you might say."

"…You know, I would say that sounds crazy, but coming from you, I'm apt to believe it. How did you get there?"

"When I preformed the transmutation to bring Al's body back, I was thrown to the other side of the gate and trapped there."

"And that's why you sound ridiculous?"

"Hmm?"

"Your voice. Being stuck in another country for so long has given you a bit of an accent."

"Oh." Edward looked a little abashed, as if someone had uncovered a dirty little secret. Roy smirked slightly, and continued in what should have been the normal sequence of questions to ask.

"How did you get back?" He asked, taking another sip of his now luke-warm coffee.

After about a minute of silence, Roy walked towards the room's other occupant and stopped beside his chair.

"Edward?"

"Pass."

"You can't do that! What about answering to the best of your ability?"

"That is the best of my ability."

"Surely no-"

"Mustang." Golden eyes bored into him, somehow holding sincerity and secrets at the same time. "That is one question I am not prepared to answer. There are some things better left unsaid."

And once again, Roy felt that coming from Edward, some things were very believable.

**~0x0~**

Roy felt uncomfortable in his own home. The air had somehow changed, like something was a little off, but he couldn't quite place it.

Every time he asked Edward a question, the younger man would refuse to answer.

After about an hour of the blond refusing to eat or answer any more questions, Roy got fed up and decided to try and shock him into giving up some information. He gave into desperation and flung out a fact that he would normally never admit:

"I had a dream about you, you know."

The man still sitting at his kitchen table started and looked at him with wide eyes. They both knew that General Roy Mustang was not the type of person to just give out information like that.

"At least, I am fairly certain it was about you. I couldn't see your face, just your eyes." Roy glanced over, looking for signs that Edward may have wanted to talk about it. All he saw was shock and confusion, and he figured that was a good enough handhold to start scaling the mystery that was Edward Elric.

"I've been having them recently…I know I must sound foolish, admitting that I was dreaming about someone like you, but they weren't normal dreams. It was more like…a nightmare." Roy carefully studied the other man out of the corner of his eye and saw a hint of a reaction at the word _'nightmare'_.

"They always stayed fairly vague, and dark, but I am positive that I saw your eyes in both of my dreams, because I don't know anyone else with your eye color. And there was always fear involved."

It seemed as if the room got colder with every word he spoke, but Roy chalked it up to an overactive imagination and continued. Ed did seem to be responding to his tale, slowly becoming more and more disgruntled.

"There were strange noises and something like pain, if you can believe that someone could feel pain from a dream. And a smile. Both times, the dream ended with a smile…a smile with fangs."

And then came a reaction he didn't expect. Edward stiffened and jolted backwards as if he'd been burned, leaning away from the taller man, eyes wide as saucers.

'_What? What was that in response to? _Smile_? No….I said that twice before he got startled. Must have been the word _fangs_ then…but why would-'_

"Th-That's…" Edward stammered, interrupting Roy's train of thought.

"What? What did I say?" The General asked.

"That's…unusual." Was the quiet response.

"Ed-"

"I should be going." The blonde stood up swiftly and began to briskly walk out of the kitchen.

"Ed, wait! Where are you going?"

"To Liore." Was the only answer.

"The trains aren't running at this time of day."

"I'll walk." Edward had stopped and was now standing in the doorway, his back towards the other man.

"Walk? That would take weeks. Come on, Fullmetal. Don't be unreasonable. Stay here tonight. Or, I guess I should say today. We can call Alphonse at a later hour."

He seemed to hesitate at that, and Roy jumped on the opportunity to throw more logic at him in the hopes of making him stay.

"Think about it. A dead man can't just start walking the streets. You'll cause an uproar. I don't know what you have been doing the past three months, but it is pretty apparent that no one knows you are back. A field trip to Liore is hardly the way to make that particular announcement."

"I don't want any announcements. I just want to see my brother." Said the sullen blonde.

"And you will. When we get a hold of him, I'm sure it won't be too hard to convince him to take the first available train back. Then it will only be a couple days until he gets here."

"A couple days? I can't-"

"Yes you can. Patience and a clear head are what you need right now, all right? It will go by fast, I promise. In the mean time, I can catch you up on everything that has happened while you were gone."

When the other finally nodded, Roy breathed a silent sigh of relief. He hadn't said it out loud, but he wouldn't have let Ed leave, even if he had insisted. The man was too afraid of him disappearing again and not coming back.

**~0x0~**

"Al's in the military now?"

"Yes. He wanted to join so he could find you."

"Idiot, I told him that only one of us had to-"

Edward stopped mid-sentence and stiffened slightly, as if he had heard something.

"Edward?"

"I…need to rest." The blonde said slowly.

Roy raised his eyebrow and glanced over at the window, seeing that dawn would be coming soon.

"Oh. Of course. Sorry to keep you up for half the night. You can use the guest bedroom."

Roy stood and motioned for the other to follow him out of the room. He led his guest upstairs to the spare bedroom. For a moment they both stood awkwardly, shifting from side to side. Then both started to say something at the same time.

"Well, I-"

"I guess-"

Both stopped short and blinked into the awkward silence that had fallen until Roy cleared his throat.

"Well. Good night. Or morning, I guess. Feel free to sleep in."

"Thanks."

When the shorter man shut the door, the General lingered a moment longer, not entirely sure why he felt so uneasy.

'_It's just nerves. Things are a bit awkward between us. I suppose that is to be expected.'_

He listened and heard nothing from the other side of the door, then scolded himself for eavesdropping. The dark haired man trudged down the hall and entered his own room, collapsing onto his bed immediately.

The final thoughts that flitted through his mind before he fell to a restless slumber were of how happy Alphonse would be when he learned that his beloved big brother had finally come home.

**~0x0~  
**

"_So, you have returned."_

_Roy furiously shook his head, loathe to be back in this horrid dream world where he had no control._

_The disembodied voice chuckled in the dark. "Poor little man, unable to keep himself from coming back to this place. Tell me, what brings you here?"_

_Roy wanted to ask why the evil creature suddenly wanted to have a conversation, but he couldn't seem to locate his vocal chords._

_However, it seemed to have understood without the use of words, because it answered his question without prompting._

"_Ah, I am not such a beast. I can be cordial when the occasion calls for it. You seem to be frequenting my dominion as of late, so we may as well behave like adults, eh?"_

_Roy wondered why this had taken such an altered course from the usual horror. _

"_Hmm. An interesting question…normally, I only get a visit from someone once, and then they are scared off, or unable to return. But you have come to me three times now. Quite curious, really. That rarely happens. I'm not entirely sure if it is bravery or foolishness on your part, though. Had I known that you would be returning, perhaps our first encounter would have been different…oh well. It's interesting, having you here. I don't feel the need to kill you because of that."_

_Kill? There was no dream that could kill someone._

"_Dream? You think this is a dream? Interesting…Had I known that my little experiment would turn out such intriguing results, I would have done it long ago…" mused the rasping voice._

_What the hell was this, the dark haired alchemist wondered. This whole thing was bizarre, even for a dream. Where was the phantom monster with fangs and golden eyes? Roy was confused and disoriented, and was quite honestly fed up with this nightmare crap. He wanted to just get it over with, so he could wake up._

"_Alright, listen. Firstly_, you_ were the one that came to me. Not my fault that you can't seem to control your subconscious enough to make it stay in one place. Secondly, I don't deal in nightmares and phantoms. I am The Truth. Everything you view in my presence is purely factual."_

_The truth about what?_

"_The Truth of all Truth, dear little man. Think in capital letters. And I can't tell you what The Truth is without receiving something in return. That goes beyond mere conversation, after all."_

_This was nonsense. Roy didn't know what was going on, or what this dream was even about._

"…_I'll tell you what. I like foolish men like you. You amuse me. And, technically, you have given up a lot of restful sleep to be here, so I will give you a clue before I see you off. Honestly, I said it before, but humans often need things to be spelled out. So, let me say it again. Everything I show you is _purely factual_."_

_Then the smile was back. This time it seemed to stretch wider than ever, as if on the brink of laughter. The fangs seemed elongated, protruding past unseen lips, glistening in the gloom. _

"_I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out. It should prove to be most entertaining. Be sure to play your part to the fullest, so you won't disappoint. Until we meet again, little man..."_

_A golden flash caught Roy's eye, and once again he saw twin amber pools, filled with emotion and something entirely foreign to him. _

_As the excruciating pain suddenly burned his nerve endings, as the scent of blood hit his nostrils, Roy was certain of one thing._

_He had seen those eyes on Edward's face._

~0x0~

What did you think? Please let me know in a **Review**!


	3. Chapter 3

Been a while. But, this story is the one I work on when I am burned out on my others...it just isn't my main focus, so updates are shaky at best. Sorry about that.

EDIT-Someone ask if this is going to be a yaoi story or just a Parental! Roy/Ed. And the answer is...I dunno yet. I haven't really planned this one out, since it is not really first on my list. I tend to lean toward yaoi as a general rule though.

**~0x0~**

Once again, Roy jolted awake, though this time, he was more confused than scared. He shook his head and rolled out of bed and took a much-needed shower. He scrubbed furiously to vent some of his frustration.

The man had been a bit off kilter before, but after that dream, he was even more confused. However, perhaps due in part to sleep deprivation, he reacted with anger, rather than thinking logically.

His mind tried to fight through the fog and churned recent events over and over in his mind, but he always seemed to fall short of the conclusion he was looking for. There was something missing, some crucial bit of information that would make the whole puzzle fall into place and he just couldn't figure out what it was.

Purely factual, the voice had said. But it was insane to be listening to a dream. Then again, it was said that dreams were messages from the subconscious. Roy had never really bought into that, but perhaps it was true. What was it trying to tell him? What was he missing?

He punched the nearby shower wall, bruising his knuckles on the tile.

Silently cursing, he turned away and flicked off the taps.

After getting dressed, Roy went downstairs and started making breakfast. It was Sunday, and there was no real reason for him to be up this early, but he knew that he wouldn't be sleeping again anytime soon. He went about fixing breakfast for himself and trying desperately to think of anything other than the person occupying his spare bedroom. The dark haired man had to mentally convince himself to calm down and let Fullmetal sleep.

He stopped tending to his eggs at that thought.

'_I guess he shouldn't be referred to by his state given title anymore. So much has changed…I wonder how Alphonse will react…'_

He ate his almost burned breakfast and piddled around the house in a futile attempt to distract himself. For hours he waited impatiently, until he felt that it was about time to rouse his guest. It was the middle of the afternoon when he went upstairs, and he didn't feel bad at all about waking him. Alphonse would want to talk to him as early as possible, and the waiting was quite frankly driving him mad.

The Flame alchemist knocked on the door, waiting a total of five seconds before the cracked it open and peeked inside. What he saw immediately sowed the seeds of fear in his mind.

The room was empty.

He burst in, no longer caring about being quiet and called for the one that should have been there. No response was heard and he turned in a full circle before blind panic began to set in.

'_Not again. Not so soon.' _This was the only thought in the terrified man's head. He ran through the house, calling out all the while and receiving no answer. For the first time in his life, he honestly had no idea what to do, and he simply stopped moving under the mental weight. His mind flipped over itself again and again, but for the life of him, he couldn't make it work beyond forcing his body to sit in his most comfortable armchair.

Roy wasn't entirely sure how long he sat there, and in his near catatonic state, he failed to notice the gathering storm outside. All he knew was that the next time a coherent thought came to him, thunder had sounded and shaken him out of his stupor. He started and looked up, vaguely recognizing that Central was seeing a lot of storms as of late. After another couple of loud rumbles, he heard the sound of his door being opened. He moved faster than someone his age should have been able to, standing and dashing across the sitting room to the main hall in just a few seconds.

"Where the fuck have you been?"

The blonde that was now standing in the foyer simply glanced up at him, and then went back to slowly and deliberately closing the front door.

"Is that any way to greet a guest?"

"_Where were you?_" Roy hissed through gritted teeth. Had he not been so emotional, he might have picked up in the fact that his younger counterpart was completely dry, despite having been out in the storm a few moments earlier.

"Out," said the shorter man as he walked past the half-enraged, half-relieved alchemist. "Couldn't sleep. Needed to go do something outside. Have you called Al yet?"

The raven-haired man blinked at the quick change of subject and shook his head to clear it.

"Don't…do things like that. Pulling disappearing acts after you have been MIA for years is not good for the sanity of those around you."

Edward glanced back and looked genuinely apologetic as he whispered a quick "Sorry." He then turned into the room Roy had just come running out of. Slowly, the General followed, bare feet padding silently over the hardwood floor. He watched as Edward collapsed onto his leather sofa, noticing for the first time how tired the young man looked. He gave a great sigh and went to sit down on the opposite side of the couch.

"So?" came the expectant question.

Roy glanced over at him. "Hmm?"

"Have you called Al yet?'

"Ah. No, I didn't think that telling him his brother had come back only to disappear again would make him too happy."

Edward bashfully scratched his head and hid his face behind his bangs. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"Would you like to call now?"

"Yes, please."

Roy got up and walked over to his phone stand, mentally trying to recall which room to ask for when he called the hotel. As he went to pick up the receiver, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Colonel?"

"It's General, Edward." Roy reminded gently.

"Right. Uh…"

The dark haired man noticed his hesitance and turned around, secretly hoping that the younger of the two was trying to open up a bit. With that in mind, he readjusted his mask, so all that could be seen was kindness laced with slight concern.

"What's with the eye patch?"

"Oh…" Roy reached up and touched the soft leather covering the left side of his face. "I was injured during the overthrow of the old government."

Edward just cocked his head to show that he didn't know what the General was talking about.

Suddenly, the taller man felt uncomfortable with the topic, and he made an attempt to change the subject.

"We can talk about that later. For now, we need to call your brother."

If Edward suspected his discomfort, he didn't show it. He took the bait easily, nodding and smiling a bit.

Internally sighing, the General turned back to the telephone, dialing the number of the hotel Alphonse was staying at. After repeating Alphonse's room number twice for the apparently half-asleep desk clerk, he waited for a couple minutes while they called him down to the lobby. It was lucky that he had actually come back to the hotel at a decent time; otherwise they would've had to wait until tomorrow.

A voice on the other end of the line distracted Roy from his thoughts.

"_Hello?_"

"Hello, Alphonse."

"_General Mustang?_"

"Yes. Sorry to call so late," the man stole a quick glance at his now dark windows, wondering where the day had gone. "I would have phoned earlier but there were…complications."

While he had been talking, Roy had not noticed that Edward had gotten up, and was now making a grab for the phone.

"_What? Is something wrong?_" A brief struggle was heard, as Roy shooed away the agitated blonde and then turned his attention back to the conversation at hand.

"No, no, everything is taken care of. Listen, Alphonse, I need you to come back to Central."

"_But, I-_"

"No 'buts.' I am quite positive that you won't find anything in Liore. I have received a tip from a valuable source, and I am sure you will want to hear it."

"_Really? What is it?_" The dark haired man could hear the excitement that filled the boy's voice, immediately responding to anything that might help him locate his beloved brother.

"I can't fully explain, not over the phone. You need to come back and get it from the source. I want you on the first train to Central in the morning. Understood?"

"_Yes, Sir!_" came the exuberant cry, followed by several muted apologies, which Roy assumed were directed at the hotel staff for being too loud.

"Goodnight, Alphonse." He chuckled.

"_The same to you. See you in a couple days._"

Roy waited until he heard the click signaling that the boy had hung up, then placed the receiver down and looked over at a pissed looking Edward.

"Why didn't you let me talk to him?"

"Because. Alphonse is like you, in that once he has a goal, nothing else matters. If I had told him you were here, he would respond with more urgency than normal, and forget about his own needs. He would probably try to walk here, because the trains wouldn't run fast enough for him, and he would hurt himself."

Ed rolled his eyes at that, but seemed to accept it for the truth, because he went and sat down again.

"At least he sounded eager to come."

The taller man blinked, surprised. "You could hear him talking?"

The blonde stiffened and gave a jerky nod. "Well, yeah. I was standing right there while he was shouting into the receiver."

Roy took the words as they came, filing away the odd reaction for later contemplation. "Now the only question is what to do with you…" Roy mused aloud.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I have to work tomorrow…it probably isn't a good idea for you to be walking around, because you will cause a panic." He noticed that the blonde flinched when he emphasized the words 'walking around'.

"Listen, Mustang. Sorry I scared you, but I might need to go out during the day. I can't stay inside all the time."

"But, Edward-"

"Look. If I do go out, I promise to be back by nightfall. I am not the same loud brat I used to be, okay? I am pretty good at staying out of sight. Nobody will know I am around."

"I can't just let you do that. How will I get a hold of you at work, if I need to? What if something goes wrong?"

"We can't go through our whole lives subsisting on 'what if's, Mustang. Nothing will go wrong, and even if it does, you don't need to worry about finding me. I'll find you."

Roy just sighed. "And what is it that you need to go out for so badly?"

"I just...I need to be out. I spent so much time locked away from this world-my world. I need to be out in it, now that I am back."

"You aren't going to budge on this, are you?"

The blonde shook his head.

"Fine, just...fine. Don't let anybody know you are back until I know how I want to handle the public story though."

Edward nodded and went to sit down again.

After a few minutes, the General remembered something.

"Hey. Have you eaten yet? I make something for a late dinner, if you like."

"No thanks. I ate while I was out."

"I thought you were staying out of slight?"

"I am."

"Ed, seriously, what-"

"Look, Mustang. You asked me to trust you once upon a time. I would ask you to do the same. I'm fine."

The dark haired man breathed an aggravated sigh.

"I just don't know how to react with you..." he muttered. "Fine. If you get hungry, you know where the kitchen is. I have to go to work tomorrow, so I'm going to turn in. You should too."

Edward shrugged. "I've become a bit of a night owl over the years, so it'll take a while for me to get to sleep. I'll go to bed soon though."

"Okay. Help yourself to the books on the wall." Mustang gestured to the bookshelves along the far wall.

As he shuffled up the stairs, Roy contemplated his recent dreams. Somehow, he felt that the constant revisiting horror was in some way tied to Ed's return. The General was not afraid of much, but these odd occurrences were getting out of hand, and the younger blonde was really starting to worry him.

He had the sneaking suspicion that he would not be sleeping tonight.

**~0x0~**

This one was mostly a transition just to get Al into the picture. Reviews?


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